Archive News
Celebrity chefs to fore when chips are down
Date Published: {J}
There was a famous fracas a few years back when that self-proclaimed ‘celebrity chef’ Kevin Thornton had a hissy fit when someone came into his stuck-up restaurant and had the audacity to ask for chips.
Because chips are normally right up there with well-done steaks in terms of the foods these prima donnas of the pots and pans love to hate.
Not Kevin Dundon, however, because he lowered himself to cook chips on the first night of RTE’s new series, Take on the Takeaway, a format that will be familiar to many from its original run as a BBC series a couple of years back.
The idea is simple – you find someone who loves the food from their local takeaway and you try to beat the chipper at its own game; in this case by cooking fish and chips better and quicker than you could get them delivered to your door.
Dundon, himself a familiar face to those with nothing better to do than watch The Afternoon Show, was up against the sizeable bulk of Francesco Macari, a man who looks like he works on the basis of eating one chip for every chip he sells.
His Deli Burger in Balbriggan has been like a second home to Louise Conway, who would order takeaways for delivery three or four times a week.
The idea is that the celebrity chef must buy all of the produce for less than the cost of the takeaway and must cook it quicker than the chipper can deliver it.
Half the points are awarded for speed and the rest for the winner of the blind tasting when the customer wears a blindfold and pretends that eating takeaway chips is actually the basis for a third-level degree.
All of this is overseen by Dr Eva Orsmond, a rather severe looking Finnish GP who doubles as a dietician last seen whipping them into shape on Operation Transformation, and who looks like her staple diet might involve eating her own children.
Eva looks like she’d sooner stick needles in her eyes than ever let a greasy chip past her lips, possessed as she is of a stare than could make you lose weight on the spot through sheer fright.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.
People’s living conditions less than 100 years ago were frightening. We have come a long way. We talk about water charges today, but back then the local District Councils were erecting pumps for local communities and the lovely town of Mountbellew, according to Council minutes, had open sewers,” says Galway County Council archivist Patria McWalter.
Patria believes we “need to take pride in our history, and we should take the same pride in our historical records as we do in our built heritage”. When you see the wealth of material in her care, this belief makes sense.
She is in charge of caring for the rich collection of administrative records owned by Galway County Council and says “these records are as much part of our history as the Rock of Cashel is. They document our lives and our ancestors’ lives. And nobody can plan for the future unless you learn from the past, what worked and what didn’t”.
Archivists and librarians are often unfairly regarded as being dry, academic types, but that’s certainly not true of Patria. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she turns the pages of several minute books from Galway’s Rural District Councils, all of them at least 100 years old.
Part of her role involved cataloguing all the records of the Councils – Ballinasloe, Clifden, Galway, Gort, Loughrea, Mountbellew, Portumna and Tuam. These records mostly consisted of minutes of various meetings.
When she was cataloguing them she realised their worth to local historians and researchers, so she decided to compile a guide to their content. The result is For the Record: The Archives of Galway’s Rural District Councils, which will be a valuable asset to anybody with an interest in history.
Many representatives on these Councils were local personalities and several were arrested during the political upheaval of the era, she explains.
And, ushering in a new era in history, women were allowed to sit on these Rural District Councils – at the time they were not allowed to sit on County Councils.
All of this information is included in Patria’s introductory essay to the attractively produced A4 size guide, which gives a glimpse into how these Rural Councils operated and the way political thinking changed in Ireland during a short 26-year period. In the early 1900s, these Councils supported Home Rule, but by 1920, they were calling for full independence and refusing to recognise the British administration.
“I love the tone,” says Patria of the minutes from meetings. “The language was very emotive.”
That was certainly true of the Gort Rural District Council. At a meeting in 1907, following riots in Dublin at the premiere of JM Synge’s play, The Playboy of the Western World the councillors’ response was vehement. They recorded their decision to “protest most emphatically against the libellous comedy, The Playboy of the Western World, that was belched forth during the past week in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, under the fostering care of Lady Gregory and Mr Yeats. We congratulate the good people of Dublin in howling down the gross buffoonery and immoral suggestions that are scattered throughout this scandalous performance.
For more from the archives see this week’s Tribunes here
Date Published: 23-Jan-2013
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Date Published: 29-Jan-2013
Athenry FC 1
Kilbarrack United 2
(After extra time)
For the second year in succession Athenry were done in extra time in the FAI Junior Cup as last season’s beaten finalist’s came from behind to snatch an excellent game in Moanbawn on Sunday afternoon.
On a heavy pitch that was only playable following extensive groundwork by club officials all morning, the home side were by far the better side in the opening half, but failed to take advantage of a number of opportunities that came their way.
An Alan O’Donovan penalty gave them a merited advantage just after the restart, but thereafter were on the back foot as Kilbarrack took over, but for all their pressing, the home rearguard were dealing comfortably with their forays.
However they were struck a body blow just six minutes from time, as big striker Keith Kirwan was left all alone at the far post to head the equaliser and from that point on the Dubliners were the better side.
They started off the extra time in the ascendancy and enjoying all the momentum before striking for a good winning goal on 104 minutes. A strong bench allowed them to make some necessary changes and it was not a facility that was available to Athenry manager Gabriel Glavin.
With Gary Forde and Gary Delaney out through suspension following their sending off against OLBC in the previous round, and Seamie Crowe injured, it left their bench rather threadbare with just a number of young squad players available.
Playing with the aid of the slight incline and any wind advantage going, the home side had a Connor Cannon effort on target in the opening minute, while John Meleady was just over with a flick at the other end.
Meleady then tested Andrew Walsh who saved comfortably, before the goalkeeper pulled off a brilliant double save on 14 minutes.
Firstly he went full length to push away a Meleady shot and was then back on his feet to parry David Jackson’s close-range rebound.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.
Farrell says eviction ban lift will be “judged harshest” of Government’s bad housing policies
258 people now listed as homeless across Galway
Man missing from Loughrea located safe and well
UHG third most overcrowded hospital nationwide during March
Green light for Galway’s first Wetherspoons at Eglinton Street
City seeks to annex Oranmore, Claregalway, Moycullen and Barna in boundary extension
Man awarded €142,000 over unprovoked attack in toilet of County Galway pub
Woman convicted of harassing social media guru
Galway family’s plea – help us save our home
Bono has finally found what’s he’s looking for!
